Peach pitting machine



Aug. 18, 1931. A. s. RIDLEY 1,819,442

PEACH FITTING MACHINE Filed July 11, 1929 Patented Asian 18,1931

Wires s'rsrss PATENT @FFEQE rmcx rrr'rms MACHINE Application fled July 11, 1928, Serial No.

My invention relates to improved feeding means for use in connection with machines for pitting peaches and like fruit.

ThG'ObJGCt of the invention is to provide 6 improved means for. feeding the fruit rapidly to thefruit halving and lttingmechanism. laccomplish this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawin The accompanying drawing is a side e eva- 3 t1 0n of a feeding means and pittin mechan sm associated therewith which em dy my invention.

A main guidewa is formed by two blades 1 and superpose one above the other and w extending as a continuous undulatory curve without shot? angles and with the. blades evenly spa apartto a point just beneath a circular saw 3 at which point the fruit is seized by gripping means such as that de- 33 scribed in the specification of coending joint application of Arthur Talbot ottenham and myself, Serial No. 162,308 filed on the 20th January 1927 or in my co-pending a plication, Serial No. 245,986 filed 11th apuary 1928. The fruit 4A is fed by an op-- erativeto a-tributary guideway formed by parallel blades 1A and 2A, the fruit being pushed on to thejblades with the pit in the correct sition for pitting. The fruit is 89 then entlrel supported by the blades which act as a p i away for the fruit.

An en less chain 5 passes over sprockets 6, one of which is drivenby any known suitable means (not shown) and the chain carries upright usher ers 7 which are adapted to push t e fruit a ong the guideway to a .position where it is engaged by radial fingers 8 of a rotary disc 9. A second guideway is formed by guide-bladeslB and 2B and these 'blades are adapted to receivefruit 4B fed thereonto by a second operative. The chain 5 and fingers 7 are so arranged that fruit 4B, carried along the .blades 1B and 23 by the fingers 7 reaches the main guideway formed 4% by the blades 1 and 2 alternately inrelation to fruit 4A carriedalongthefblades 1A and 2A by the fingers 7. Atthe junction of these tributary idewa'ys formed by the blades :1A-, 2A amFlB, 2B, respectively, a gate-blade 10 is provided and is pivoted at 11 to a 877,506, and in Australia July 12, 1928,.

bracket or other support 1 2 by which it is connected to the blade 1B or to the frame. This pivoted gate-biade allowsthe fruit 4A to ride over it as it virtually forms portion of the blade 2; but, bei'ngpivoted, it also allows 65 the fruit 4B to lift it and pass under it and it then forms virtually a portion of the blade 1B. The radial fingers '8 should move twice as fast as the pusher fingers 7 in order to carry the fruit forward in properly spaced rela- 6O tionship. The disc upon which the radial fingers are carried is mounted on a shaft 13 suitably driven from the driving shaft of the machine. The radial fingers are pivotally mounted at 14 upon the rotary disc and are provided with retainin springs 15. These radial fingers are of be l-crank construction and their shorter arms 16 are held by the springs 15' in contact with a stationary cam 17 The cam 17 is so shaped that the radial bell-crank fingers will lag when .the fruit comes into the position where it is seized by the grippers which carry it forward to fruitcuttmg and pitting .mechanlsm.

In theconstruction shown a circular saw 3 is provided which sei'ers the pit and flesh of the fruit into two halves-before the fruit 7 is carried to the pitting mechanism.

In operation the operatives have merely to place the peaches or other fruit upon the guideway so as to impale each peachupon the guide-blades in such a position that the blades enter the flesh of the peach at its valle or suture. The operation of the machine ram .85 that point is automatic.

It will thus be seen that the tributary guide-blades in conjunction with the main guide-blades form guide-ways which are continuous and uniform in the sense that they have no sudden changes of direction and the blades'are evenly spaced apart throu hout their length. Consequently the fruit 1s set by the operative in thecorrect fru t-pitting position when it is placed on the guide-blades and is pushed along these undulatoryguideways continuously without the necessity for rotating orpartly rotating the fruit or changing its direction at a sharp angle as 1t 18 not necessary for the bladesto cut right around 4 8 mechanism. c.

5.In a. peac pitting machine, a main the fruit. The essential pur ose of the blades e is to guide the fruit, the e ective cutting of the fruit bein performed by the circular saw. In other wor s, there is no change of position of the fruit in relation to the guideway. This allows the fruit to be passed along the ide- ;-blades at the high speed that is obtaina 1e by the use of tributary guideways.

I claim 5 10 1. In a peach pitting machine, a main guidewa a tributary guideway forming the source 0 said main guideway, a second tributary guideway, said tributary guideways a forming with the main guideway continuous undulating guideways.

Y 2. In a fruit pittin machine, aair of parallel main guide fiades a plum ity of otherpairs of tributary gui e blades, a gateblade connecting adjacent pairs of'tributary guide blades alternately to the main pair of L uide blades, and means for pushin the fruit orward along the guideways t0 ruit-gripping means. r

3. In a peachpitting machine, a main feedway, a plurality of tributar y feedwa s, means adapted to feed the fruit in properly spaced relationshi 'tributa eedways to the main feedway,

means or carrying said fruit alon said 80 main feedway, means for gripping sai fruit,

means for causing said carrying means associated with the main feedway to lag when'the fruit reaches the gripping means, a circulaisaw, means for carrying said-grippin means guideway, means or brin 'ng thefruit in spaced relationship into sai main guideway,

a rotary shaft, a rotary member carried by said shaft, radial pivoted bell-cra nlr pusher fingers'carried by said rotary member and ada ted to push said fruit along ,said main gui eway, and a.v stationary-cam adapted to engage said bell-crank, fingers and cause them i to lag.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature.

- ALB RT STANLEY RIDLEY.

alternately from the separate 

